Leviathan
A large and hoary Stag Beetle explores the interior of a Chestnut mushroom. The beetle is deeply undercut as are the gills of the mushroom,This is an example of a project that got out of control to the point where realistically the only one who could appreciate the lengths gone to is myself. The gills of the mushroom would look just as good were they carved to half the depth they are here; the legs of the beetle did not have to be carved so deeply inside the fungus; and it simply was not necessary to carve around a blind corner under the beetle itself. And yet I went to those lengths perhaps to explore the limits of the work and to prove my own worth to myself.No carving lives through technical merit alone, so I was pleased with the way this beetle has a character that I had not originally planned. Indeed he has an elderly statesman quality about him which I encouraged as soon as I realized what was happening. He also seems to be having trouble extricating himself from the mushroom... or maybe, a reluctance to leave its safety which I found rather touching.